BeeLine TX User s Guide V1.1c 4/25/2005

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Maude Singleton
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1 BeeLine TX User s Guide V1.1c 4/25/ Important Battery Information The BeeLine Transmitter is designed to operate off of a single cell lithium polymer battery. Other battery sources may be used, but the MAXIMUM BATTERY VOLTAGE MUST BE LESS THAN 6.6 volts, otherwise damage to the on-board processor may result. By changing or removing components on the board, it is possible to use higher voltage levels (up to 16Volts, 9.2 is OK, max determined by the voltage regulator. Actually, the Vreg can handle 16V, but then power dissipation becomes a problem. Maximum realistic input voltage without a heatsink is limited to 9V or so.) The batteries shipped with the BeeLine transmitters have not been charged. They arrive partially charged from the factory and should have sufficient charge to operate for a limited time. Please fully charge the battery before extended use. 1.1 Lithium Battery Safety Undercharging, overcharging, or shorting the lithium polymer cell can cause electrolyte leakage, gassing, explosion and/or fire. If the battery begins to swell or puff, discontinue use immediately. Do not attempt to charge or continue to use. 2 Programming Software The BeeLine Transmitter programming software is available for download: 3 Initial Configuration The BeeLine Transmitter is shipped fully programmed and ready to operate. The callsign string is programmed with your amateur call sign. The frequency is set to Mhz. The power output level is set to +12dBm. The number of beeps is set to 30 The length of each beep is set to 30ms

2 The time between beeps (measured from start-to-start) is set to 5 seconds. The audio frequency of the Morse code and beep transmissions are set to 400Hz. Voltage level reportings are disabled. Low Voltage protection is enabled, and the voltage level is set to 3.4 volts. 4 Basic Operation: A) When power is applied to the BeeLine Transmitter, a 5 second delay loop is entered. During this time, the serial port is examined for input characters. B) The call sign string is played via Morse code. C) After the call sign string is complete, the voltage levels are transmitted if enabled. D) A sequence of beeps is produced. The serial port is examined for input characters prior to a beep. E) After the programmed number of beeps, the battery voltage (sampled when the transmitter is powered off) is compared to the low voltage protection value. If it is lower, a series of Z s are transmitted, the transmitter is powered down, and the processor is halted. In order to protect the battery, it is recommended to leave the voltage protection option enabled. F) The elapsed time is written into flash. G) The program loops back and begins playing the call sign. A typical transmission will sound like this: <5 sec pause> K7RKT V V beep beep beep beep K7RKT call sign string: K7RKT voltage level while transmitter is enabled: 4.13 volts voltage level while transmitter is disabled: 4.19 volts 5 A/D Converter The BeeLine Transmitter has on on-chip analog to digital converter used to measure the battery voltage. Battery voltage is measured both while the transmitter enabled and disabled. The voltage while the transmitter is powered on is typically between 50 and 100 millivolts lower than when it is powered off. Both voltages can be transmitted via Morse code if enabled with the programming software.

3 6 Low Voltage Shutdown Lithium polymer batteries can be severely damaged if the voltage goes below 3.2v. The A/D converter data can be used to shut down the processor and transmitter. Enabling this option will prevent the battery from being destroyed if the transmitter is accidentally left on for extended periods. While it is possible to disable this feature, it is not recommended. When the battery voltage goes below the specified threshold, the transmitter is power off, and the processor enters a low power sleep state. Even though it is powered down, the processor still draws a small amount of current. It is important to unplug the battery when not in use! 7 Timer The BeeLine transmitter has a built in power-on timer. This can be used to record the total time the transmitter has been powered on. It can be reset by clicking on the Zero Timer button. The timer increments once each second when enabled. The timer value is updated to flash memory at the end of each transmission sequence. If the timer is reset each time the battery is charged, it can be used to record battery life information. The timer (and associated timer interrupts) can be disabled by checking the disable timer check box. 8 Programming Programming commands from the serial port are checked immediately after power is applied, in between transmission of Morse code characters, and prior to each beep. Only one input character is buffered. A timeout value of 30 seconds is programmed into the Windows application. If the time between beeps is set to longer than 30 seconds, the windows program will timeout prematurely After a command is received, the transmitter is powered down and the command is acted upon. A programming mode loop is then entered where characters are acted upon immediately. To restart transmission, issue the run command. If the run command is issued while already running, the transmit sequence will be reset, and start over again with the callsign string. Typical programming sequence: 1) Plug the serial adapter into the serial port. 2) Launch the BeeLine Programming software. 3) Apply power to the transmitter 4) Plug transmitter into serial adapter 5) Click ONCE on Read, wait for read to complete. If this read hangs, terminate the windows software, and start again with step 2. 6) Modify parameters, if needed. 7) Click on Write 8) Click on Go, transmission will begin with the callsign string.

9) Click on Exit 8.1 Detailed field descriptions. Fields: COM port Select the desired comport from the pulldown menu. If your desired comport is unavailable, type the desired port name.

4 9) Click on Exit 8.1 Detailed field descriptions. Fields: COM port Select the desired comport from the pulldown menu. If your desired comport is unavailable, type the desired port name. (For example, COM5 ) Frequency Enter the frequency desired, in Mhz. The valid range is between Mhz. Output Enter an integer between -20 and +12. Some rounding may occur. power Beep Length of a beep in 100 ms increments (3 = 300 millisecond). Range is Duration Beep Length between beeps in 100ms increments (47 = 4.7 seconds) Range is 1- Duration 255 Number of Number of beeps between ID String transmissions Beeps Beep Audio frequency (in Hz) of the beeps Frequency Morse ID Audio Frequency (in Hz) of the Morse code transmissions Frequency

5 ID String Message to be transmitted via morse code. 32 characters max. Supported characters: 0-9, A-Z.,? = : ; / - and space. FCC regulations require that you transmit your call sign periodically Messages Status messages from the program are delivered here Model The Model ID. BL TX for the Beeline Transmitter Version The version number. Current version is 10 Battery The battery voltage as read by the A/D converter. This is only valid if input voltage is <= 6 volts. Skip TX If checked, this voltage is NOT transmitted ON ViD Skip TX If checked, this voltage is NOT transmitted OFF VID Skip low V If checked, Low voltage check and shutdown is not enabled. shutdown Disable Timer If checked, the timer is disabled. Power must be cycled for this to take effect. 9 Port Diagrams Battery Connection (looking in from the end of the board) Pin 1: Battery - Pin 2: Battery + Pin 3: Battery + Pin 4: connected to input of the voltage regulator Pins 2 and 3 are connected on the board. Pin 4 is the input to the voltage regulator. If you don t want to use a switch, EITHER connect pins3 and 4 with a short loop of wire OR connect the battery to pins 1 (-) and 4 (+) instead of 1 and 2. ICSP / Serial Connector (looking down from the top of the board) Pin 1: TTL level transmit data out of transmitter Pin 2: TTL level receive data in to transmitter Pin 3: Battery - Pin 4: 3.0V (output of voltage regulator) Pin 5: MCLR

10 Antenna Two pin form the antenna connection. The pad nearest the edge of the board is RF Out. The pad closest to the center of the board is RF ground.

If the heat shrink is loose and falling off, you may consider crimping the very tip of the antenna (like a j ).

6 10 Antenna Two pin form the antenna connection. The pad nearest the edge of the board is RF Out. The pad closest to the center of the board is RF ground. RF ground is connected directly to digital ground. The transmitter board is shipped with a simple whip antenna consisting of 6 ¼ inches of.020 brass rod covered with heat shrink tubing. If the heat shrink is loose and falling off, you may consider crimping the very tip of the antenna (like a j ). This has the effect of adding a little bit of capacitance at the tip, increasing the bandwidth of the antenna. 11 Battery Charger The battery charger has two alligator clips that need to be connected to the battery in order to charge it. Take two pieces of solid core wire, and strip ¼ off each end. Insert one end into the battery connector, and clip the alligator to the end of the other. See section 9 for the battery connector pinouts. The charger has two buttons: a test button and a polarity button. The button that clicks when pushed is the polarity button. 1) Connect the battery to the charger. DO NOT PLUG INTO THE WALL. 2) Push the test button, the green light will glow.

7 3) If the light doesn t come on, push the polarity button, and repeat step 2. 4) Plug into the wall. The light will blink until the battery is charged. 12 Mounting Holes Holes for #2 screws are located in three corners. Allow for the battery thickness when choosing a screw. The hole size for a #2 screw about 3/32. The lower left hole is at location (0, 0). The lower right hole is at location (16, 0). The upper right hole is at location (16, 370). All (x, y) dimensions in millimeters.

8 13 Schematic

9 KNOWN PROBLEMS - Carrier Frequency specification is not exact. Disagreement between programmed value and observed value may be as much as 10 khz off. - Battery voltage readings are approximate. Values reported are highly dependant on state of transmitter (eg, transmitting, idle, ambient temperature, etc). - Problems with some morse and beep frequencies around 650Hz fixed in UI version 1.0e

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